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Friday, April 19, 2013

Don't stop looking...

People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will descend like fine weather if you’re fortunate. But happiness is the result of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it , and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly.

Some day, we will find what we are looking for. Or maybe we won’t. Maybe we will find something much greater than that.

There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroad, afraid, confused, without a road map. The choices we make in these moments can define the rest of our days. Of course, when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back.

We get bored with childhood, and rush to grow up, and then long to be children again. We lose our health to make money and then lose our money to restore our health. By thinking anxiously about the future, we forget the present, such that we live in neither the present or the future. We live as if we’ll never die and die as though we’ve never lived.

I’ve learned that you can’t fight for anybody else. You’ve got to fight for yourself and hope like hell that you survive.

Just when we think we figured things out, the universe throws us a curve ball. So, we have to improvise. We find happiness in unexpected places. We find ourselves back to the things that matter the most. The universe is funny that way. Sometimes, it just has a way of making sure we wind up exactly where we belong.

You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world. But you do have some say in who hurts you.

Wait for the person who pursues you, the one who will make an ordinary moment seem magical, the kind of person who brings out the best in you and makes you want to be a better person. Wait for the person who will be your best friend, the only person who will drop everything to be with you at any time, no matter what the circumstances.

But once in awhile, people push on to something better. Something found just beyond the pain of going at it alone and just beyond the bravery and courage it takes to let someone in. Or to give someone a second chance. Something beyond the quiet persistence of a dream.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Chasing the Sunlight...

Sometimes, we are so busy chasing the sunlight,

that we forget that the darkness is chasing us.

You are loved. You are valuable.

You are crafted with beauty and purpose.

and this world needs you.

There is no one like you.

You don’t need to look like the rest,

or talk like the rest,

or be like the rest.

There is no truth in the lie that you don’t matter.

The world needs you as you are.

You are loved and you were put here for a reason.

You were not an accident.

You are not a mistake.

Never forget what you are.

The rest of the world will not.

Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you

Yes, I am a Christian.

Yes, I can be the biggest hypocrite ever.

I backslide, I stumble. I fall.

I stray onto the wrong path.

But God is working in me.

I may be a mess, but I’m His mess.

And He is slowly straightening me out.

And the day will come when I will be by His side,

His work in me completed.

And until that day,

I will take His hand,

and let him do in me whatever needs to be done,

no matter how painful it will be for me.

When He is finished, it will be all worth it.

You’re going to come across people in your life

who will say all the right words at all the right times.

But in the end,

it’s always their actions you should judge them by.

It’s actions, not words, that matter.

In spite of everything,

I still believe that people are really good at heart.

People think that being alone makes you lonely,

but I don’t think that’s true.

Being surrounded by the wrong people

is the loneliest thing in the world.

Our lives are storybooks that we write for ourselves;

wonderfully illustrated by the people we meet.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts,

and don’t put up with people that are reckless with yours.

Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made

or dark images you hold about yourself.

They remember your beauty when you feel ugly;

your wholeness when you are broken;

your innocence when you feel guilty;

and your purpose when you are confused.

Make each new day count by helping someone

or just making someone smile.

~~~~

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Be bold. Be fierce. Be grateful. Be wild, crazy and gloriously free. Be you.

I’m not the silly romantic you think I am.

I don’t want the heavens or the shooting stars.

I don’t want the gemstones or gold.

I have those things already.

I want a steady hand.

A kind soul.

I want to fall asleep,

and wake,

knowing my heart is safe.

I want to love and be loved.

Darling, the world’s not really against you.

The only thing that’s against you is yourself.

Its funny how sometimes

all we needed

was a line from a song,

a quote from a book or movie

to realize how we really feel

and

all we needed was

a smile from a friendly stranger,

a good cup of tea,

a walk in the rain,

an old song

to briefly put us back together

before we fall apart all over

again.

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful,

for beauty is God’s handwriting.

I don't let people in often

and I mean what I say.

If I tell you you're my friend

that means a lot!

If I tell you I love you

that is not a phrase or expression

and know that I actually love you

in the best and most

honest ways that I can.

You can’t force love, I realized.

It’s there or it isn’t.

If it’s not there, you’ve got to be able to admit it.

If it is there, you’ve got to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love.

Always pray to have

eyes that see the best in people,

a heart that forgives the worst,

a mind that forgets the bad,

and a soul that never loses faith in God.

Never get tired of doing little things for others.

Sometimes, those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.

The world bursts at the seams with people

ready to tell you you’re not good enough.

On occasion, some may be correct.

But do not do their work for them.

Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal.

Don’t take it personally when they say “no”-

they may not be smart enough to say “yes.”

Life is a school for angels.

Love is the Teacher, so do your homework without fear.

Death is merely graduation.

When nobody else celebrates you,

learn to celebrate yourself.

When nobody else compliments you,

then compliment yourself.

It's not up to other people to keep you encouraged.

It's up to you.

Encouragement should come from the inside.

Experience. Dream. Risk. Close your eyes and jump. Enjoy the freefall.

Choose exhilaration over comfort. Choose magic over predictability. Choose potential over safety. Make friends with your intuition. Trust your gut. Discover the beauty of the uncertainty.

Know yourself fully before you make promises to another.

Make millions of mistakes so that you will know how to choose what you really need.

Know when to hold on and when to let go. Love hard and often and without reservation.

Seek knowledge. Open yourself to possibility.

Keep your heart open, your head high and your spirit free.

Embrace your darkness along with your light.

Be wrong every once in awhile, and don’t be afraid to admit it.

Awaken to the brilliance in ordinary moments.

Tell the truth about yourself no matter what the cost. Own your own reality without apology. See goodness in the world.

Be bold. Be fierce. Be grateful. Be wild, crazy and gloriously free.

Be you.

I have found that if you love life,

life will love you back.

Friday, December 28, 2012

A Good Life...

A good life is when you assume nothing,

do more, need less, smile often, dream big,

laugh a lot, and realize how blessed you are.

Sometimes, I get this urge to talk to you,

and then I remember that you’re a different person now.

It’s just sad because I miss you a lot.

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves,

and not to twist them to fit our own image.

Otherwise, we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.

She did not need much, and wanted very little.

A kind word. Sincerity. Fresh air. Clean water.

A garden. Kisses. Books to read. Sheltering arms.

A cozy bed. And to love and be loved in return.

I hope that in this new year to come,

you make mistakes.

If you are making mistakes,

then you are making new things,

trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself,

changing yourself, changing your world.

You’re doing things you've never done before,

and more importantly,

you’re doing something.

Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry

that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect,

whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, DO IT.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

I’m really happy I met you.

I hope you know that.

Your journey has molded you for your greater good.

And it was exactly what it needed to be.

Don’t think that you've lost time.

It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now.

And now is right on time.

Jealousy comes from counting others’ blessings

instead of our own.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Bonaventure - "Silent Night"

Bonaventure is a music group that I became aware of thanks to Twitter. They were a random follower which I chose to check out and immediately followed back.They are a pop/rock band consisting of only two guys: Dan Smyers and Andy Albert. They are working hard to get their name and music out there for all to hear and it definitely appears that their hard work is paying off.

In an interview done by Patricia Tanne, she asked both members what their dream in life is.

Andy's response was:

"Our dream is to touch people with our music. Whether we are playing for an audience of 1, or 1 million, we want our music to hit home with people on a personal level."

Dan's response was:

"We don’t measure success in money earned or records sold, but the extent to which people are moved by the music we create. If we can inspire someone, or brighten their day with our songs, then we have succeeded."

I think both of their responses are true to heart and after following them for a few months on Twitter and Facebook, one can see that they truly care about music and using it to touch the lives of people.

Recently they recorded a version of Silent Night and they chose to use an extremely powerful commercial as the video for the song. The television commercial, “Silence of Love”, created for Thai Life Insurance, "tells the story of a young woman and her deaf mute father. The dramatic story reveals just how significant a father’s love is, despite feelings of inadequacy and frustration."

The song Silent Night is about the birth of Jesus. Jesus, the son of God, came to earth to give forgiveness and life to those who place their trust in Him. He came to take care of man’s debt of sin and He came to seek those who are lost. Many of us know about God and Jesus but still feel lost and unsure of the love of God. We focus on all the bad that is occurring and can't understand why a God would allow all this pain, hurt, and suffering. We simply sit back unwilling to understand a God that we can't actually hear or speak to. God's loves is like the love of the father in this film. Even though He knows what is best for us and wants the best for us, we have to open our eyes to His love. He is not going to make our lives perfect, we will have struggles, but He wants us to seek Him and trust in Him with all our heart. He may not be able to tell you He loves you in person but He works everyday to show His love.

I encourage everyone to take one day to just look around; seek God and look for all the ways He tells you He loves you. Watch a sunrise, listen to the birds sing in the morning, eat fresh fruit, hug a friend who's always been there for you, look at yourself in the mirror and marvel at the work He has done in creating you. We may not hear God or understand why He does the things He does but one thing is for certain; He has a never-ending love for us and everyday He waits patiently for us to love Him in return.

I hope everyone enjoys this holiday season. Please take a moment to watch this amazing video and listen to the amazing version of Silent Night by Bonaventure. The song is available to download on iTunes. The group has also promised to play a FREE ONLINE ACOUSTIC show if the song reaches #1 on any iTunes chart. Links to the iTunes song, YouTube video and where to find the group on Twitter and Facebook will be at the bottom of this post! Please share the song and video with everyone you know. Thanks!